A DOZEN workers at a Coventry food factory have been arrested on suspicion of being illegal immigrants.

The workers - men and women - were employed at Walkers Snack Foods on the Middlemarch Business Park, Toll Bar End.

Officers from the Border and Immigration Agency found the immigrants, who are from Ethiopia, Ghana, India and South Africa, had used suspicious documents to get packing jobs at the company.

They were nabbed while attending a training day at a location away from the factory.

The officers detained 12 of the group who face removal from the country or prosecution if they are found to be in possession of forged passports.

The other two have been released.

Gail Adams, Border and Immigration Agency Regional director for Midlands and East of England, said: "The Border and Immigration Agency is determined to put a stop to illegal working in the West Midlands.

"We have teams visiting businesses across the region to make sure they are not breaking the law. Anyone found to be working illegally should know that we will seek to remove them from the country.

"We are very grateful that Walkers Snack Foods have shown a genuine commitment to help us prevent illegal working."

Ms Adams said Walkers Snack Foods and its employment agency Randstad gave full support in helping immigration officers gather intelligence about possible illegal workers.

A Walkers spokesperson said: "We've worked very closely with the Home Office to assist them with their inquiry and are satisfied with the way it has been handled.

"We have thorough vetting procedures in place for all new employees and agency staff, as do Randstad, the employment agency.

"As this inquiry shows, ever more sophisticated techniques are required to counter this problem, which is why we and Randstad continually update our procedures to incorporate the latest Home Office advice."

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit www.bia.homeoffice. gov.uk/employingmigrants or they can call the Border and Immigration Agency Employers Helpline on 0845 010 6677.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business in the West Midlands should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.